Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life

By Simon Chan

Book Overview

Academy of Parish Clergy Top Ten Book

Theology is "the doctrine of living unto God," wrote the Puritan theologian William Ames. Unfortunately, post-Enlightenment theology has tended to divorce "doctrine" from "living unto God." And to the degree that this split has been deepened and perpetuated, both theology and spirituality have been impoverished.

Spiritual Theology is a rare book. In it, Simon Chan surveys the little-explored landscape where systematic theology and godly praxis meet, highlighting the connections between Christian doctrine and Christian living and drawing out the spiritual implications of particular aspects of systematic theology. Allowing rational formulations to drop into the background, he brings the mystery of the faith to the fore.

Chan begins with the principal doctrines of God, sin, salvation and the church. He then progresses to a reflective consideration of the practice of the spiritual life, from prayer to spiritual direction. Unabashedly evangelical and truly ecumenical, Chan grounds his exploration in the sources of the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions. His work is well abreast of contemporary theological currents and crossculturally conversant from an Asian perspective.

Spiritual Theology is a book for those who care deeply about theology and spirituality, and strive to integrate the two. It is well worth careful reflection and prayerful reading.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830815422
• ISBN13: 9780830815425
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Theology well done

The first half is a typical theological treatise. The second half is about spiritual disciplines to put theology into practice. The author pulls from all streams of Christianity not just one denomination. Well written.

Well Done

There is little doubt that from a purely dogmatic standpoint, this is one of the more thorough and exhaustively documented treatments of spiritual theology available today. It is highly intellectual, extensively documented (and I do mean extensively), and a top work of scholarship. As I will discuss below, it is an improveable effort in at least two ways, but from the standpoint of scholarship and depth, this book pretty much blows away most everything that's passing for spiritual theology and spiritual discipline development in Christian bookstores these days.For those interested in Chan's theological perspective, I would classify him, for lack of better terminology, as being in the left wing of Reformed theology. Chan does seem to be in the Calvinistic camp on the question of man's condition and status before God, and it is this Reformed perspective that tends to lay the groundwork for much of the book. Having said this, the book is quite ecumenical, and it is really amazing the sheer volume of Christians, both past and present, that Chan interacts with in this book. If there's one thing that's beyond debate, in my view, it's that the scholarship exhibited by Chan here is breathtaking and will be much appreciated by those looking for a very in-depth and substantive read.The book attempts to lay out a systematic approach to spiritual development, and urges readers to develop and adopt a rule of life that integrates individual and corporate spiritual development with an eye towards connecting the global Christian community more closely. Chan spends a good deal of time not only developing many familiar (though some unfamiliar) spiritual disciplines, but also interacting with far more than the Western spiritual experience. In a book like this, Chan's extensive interaction with Eastern and Asian forms of Christian spirituality is very informative and most helpful.Chan is clearly and rightly concerned about the lack of spiritual development that seems to be dominating much of Protestantism today. In our zeal to adopt individualistic spiritualities that spurn the institutional church and particularly ecclesiastical heirarchy, Chan believes that Protestants have lost a very important aspect of spiritual development - community and global development of a distinctively Christian spirituality. He's right. This book is clearly aimed at getting mainly evangelical Protestants to take another look at the spiritual disciplines not as things to check off on a purely personal 'to do' list, but as the truly life transforming disciplines they are, and to see such spiritual development not purely as individualistic or personal, but as corporate and communally interactive. This mentality is mostly welcome, and it is something evangelicals need to reexamine. The medieval church in particular knew a lot more about spiritual development than many of us today, and Chan very properly has no hang-ups about interacting and incorporating their views and practic

Solid Study

This is an excelent, scholarly treatment of Christian Spiritual Theology from an ecumenical protestant perspective. (Although Roman and Orthodox sources are not ignored.) It might not serve as the best introduction to the subject due to its depth but for anyone familiar with the discipline it serves as a solid, weighty corrective to the wispy fluff usually given as "christian spirituality." Spiritual Theology is a synthetic discipline and this book is firmly rooted in dogmatic theology (Part 1.) It then proceeds to study the Christian disciplines and aids to the Christian life (part 2.) The second section is not a laundry list of disciplines with a how-to explanation, but rather a study of the logic, rationale and relationship of the elements of a life of prayer. Although the book is for any context, many comments are from an Asan perspective.I would recommend this to any one who if moderately familiar with Spiritual Theology, I especially commend the author's broad ecumenical scope as well as his use of contemporary theologians as well as traditional "giants."

A Rare Treasure Indeed!

Simon Chan's book is a very edifying read. A unique book of a kind that marries theology and spirituality almost seamlessly. He sets a good theological basis for our understanding of God, church, salvation and sin before drawing out an 'ascetical'(spiritual disciplines) program, that is accessible even to novices. His discussion on sin is very well distilled. The radical nature of sin is well expounded, which helps one see the genius of such doctrines as 'justification by faith'. He then helps us see how that can be lived out in a way that is both congruent and effective, thus healing what Lovelace calls 'the sanctification gap'(between being declared holy and becoming holy). His writing is peppered with various quotations, making it easy for me to know where he is coming from and pointing to sources for further reading. In so doing, he does not go over grounds which other writers have trodden and yet stands on the shoulders of such giants of the Church. He focuses his insightful comments on specific issues that confront the church today,especially in the context of Asian churches that are swept by such forces as individualism and globalization. His analysis of differences between Western and Eastern thinking helps one to do theology with greater discernment and sensitivity to the pecularities of one's culture. Much more can be said about the book but it certainly serves as a wonderful resource for anyone committed to 'living unto God'.

penetrating and concise this book rocks!

This book is a masterpiece. Chan masterfully brings brings a divine center to the fragmented ecumenically minded christian. Da Bomb!